Are we truly "Christians"?
Truly?
We are, as Christians called to be peace makers, to be light and salt to the world. We were called to lead exemplary lives, taking up our crosses every day. Dying to sin, every day. Turning the other cheek, when a robber asks us for money, to give him more than he asks for. We were told by God Himeself in Jesus Christ His Son to love all. Even our enemies. Even those who persecute us.
Luke 6:32-36 states:
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
We are SUPPOSED to be avatars for love, mercy, forgiveness, compassion... That's what we're SUPPOSED to be.
But are we? Are we really?
Sometimes, I ask myself whether or not we truly believe, as we say we do. Of course I am speaking in broad terms here "we" is what seems (at least at times) like the majority of people who call themselves Christian.
We can be such hypocrites. Sure, many of us Christians seek strong morals and strong ethical boundaries. But we're not consistent, certainly not in-line with what the bible tells us.
Let's take immigration as an example.
In many European countries immigrants, perhaps especially Muslims have proven to be a fairly serious challenge. There's forced marriages, violence, honor murders, bloody feuds and more that these people bring with them. Partly because of their cultural heritage, partly because of their own personal experiences in the countries from which they fled. These are people in dire need. In need of knowing mercy, in need of knowing the Lord. They cannot hear about Jesus in their homelands. Not without risking life and limb anyway. And when they come here, what do we as Christians do? Why, we demand they be thrown out. Vote for parties with abominable ethics just to get the people we perceive as a threat out of our way.
I feel I must ask, how is this loving them? How is this showing mercy and compassion? How is this in line with what Jesus told us in Matthew 18:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
How can we make disciples of all nations if we work to send out those who come to us and can receive His word among us? We have a tremendous opportunity to show love and compassion to these people who so desperately need it. And we squander it!
In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus outlines His sheep like this:
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Is this the behavior we are showing? Is this something we do? No. We are turning our backs to the least among us. These people are in need. Often psychologically, certainly materialistically speaking and economically too. To not only turn them down when they are in need of such love as Jesus told us to give them, but to actually send them BACK, often wih fear, disgust and in some cases even hate is antithetical to the commands God gave us.
"But FG" you might say, "these Muslims want world dominance, they want to eradicate us and our faith". And yes, quite a few of the more radically minded ones do want these things. But the Lord our God has promised us that no-one who rises against us will prosper. We will prevail, He has said. And from the Bible we can deduce that though hard and terrible times will come, love will prevail.
So my message is; Don't fear these Muslims. Don't throw them out. Welcome them with the heart and mind of Jesus.
Truly?
We are, as Christians called to be peace makers, to be light and salt to the world. We were called to lead exemplary lives, taking up our crosses every day. Dying to sin, every day. Turning the other cheek, when a robber asks us for money, to give him more than he asks for. We were told by God Himeself in Jesus Christ His Son to love all. Even our enemies. Even those who persecute us.
Luke 6:32-36 states:
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
We are SUPPOSED to be avatars for love, mercy, forgiveness, compassion... That's what we're SUPPOSED to be.
But are we? Are we really?
Sometimes, I ask myself whether or not we truly believe, as we say we do. Of course I am speaking in broad terms here "we" is what seems (at least at times) like the majority of people who call themselves Christian.
We can be such hypocrites. Sure, many of us Christians seek strong morals and strong ethical boundaries. But we're not consistent, certainly not in-line with what the bible tells us.
Let's take immigration as an example.
In many European countries immigrants, perhaps especially Muslims have proven to be a fairly serious challenge. There's forced marriages, violence, honor murders, bloody feuds and more that these people bring with them. Partly because of their cultural heritage, partly because of their own personal experiences in the countries from which they fled. These are people in dire need. In need of knowing mercy, in need of knowing the Lord. They cannot hear about Jesus in their homelands. Not without risking life and limb anyway. And when they come here, what do we as Christians do? Why, we demand they be thrown out. Vote for parties with abominable ethics just to get the people we perceive as a threat out of our way.
I feel I must ask, how is this loving them? How is this showing mercy and compassion? How is this in line with what Jesus told us in Matthew 18:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
How can we make disciples of all nations if we work to send out those who come to us and can receive His word among us? We have a tremendous opportunity to show love and compassion to these people who so desperately need it. And we squander it!
In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus outlines His sheep like this:
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Is this the behavior we are showing? Is this something we do? No. We are turning our backs to the least among us. These people are in need. Often psychologically, certainly materialistically speaking and economically too. To not only turn them down when they are in need of such love as Jesus told us to give them, but to actually send them BACK, often wih fear, disgust and in some cases even hate is antithetical to the commands God gave us.
"But FG" you might say, "these Muslims want world dominance, they want to eradicate us and our faith". And yes, quite a few of the more radically minded ones do want these things. But the Lord our God has promised us that no-one who rises against us will prosper. We will prevail, He has said. And from the Bible we can deduce that though hard and terrible times will come, love will prevail.
So my message is; Don't fear these Muslims. Don't throw them out. Welcome them with the heart and mind of Jesus.
